Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!

Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

I'm 99% sure that Skip Barber Racing School has a feeder series that 'privateers' compete in. Do well there, and you will be noticed by teams in the Star Mazda Series, Toyota Atlantic Series, etc. Do well here, and you'll be in the big leagues next!

I'm 99% sure that Skip Barber Racing School has a feeder series that 'privateers' compete in. Do well there, and you will be noticed by teams in the Star Mazda Series, Toyota Atlantic Series, etc. Do well here, and you'll be in the big leagues next!

Everybody in Skip Barber is a privateer there are smaller level regional events and larger national events all run the same car. It feeds into Star Mazda now series winner gets a Star Mazda ride. Toyota Atlantic no longer exists but Champ Car Atlantic would be the next step after Star Mazda, or Indy Pro Series if you like going roundy round. However with the Daytona talk that would be more production based cars and a more logical route would be MX-5 series which would feed to Speed TC and and then Speed GT and those are arguably on the same level as most of the Grandam stuff.

First of all learn the business. Motorsports is a business. If you are coming here and asking this question you don't have the knowledge or the personal relationships to make things progress. Driving skill is only half of the equation. You have to have the networkin and business skills to go out and find rides. With that said, it is as easy as the following.

Put together a car in a competitive class and win.

Win a lot.

Then put togethere a competitive car and team in a more difficult class and win, and win a lot.

Then, if you have won lots of competitive races and championships. Go out and find more money. Lots more. And put together a privateer race team in a meaningful series.

In the said meaningful series do well. Show you can win.

Now put together a program in a meaningful feeder series. After getting some experience. Win. Win a lot.

At somepoint if you really have the talent, and develop the networking and business sense you will find a ride. Talent won't get you very far in a career in motorsports. There as many true talents sitting at home or at desks doing day jobs as their are mediocore talents buying and financing their way into "careers" in racing.

Oh. If you haven't won anything by age 18. And really, won something competitive. You need to have huge sums of natural talent, ambition, and money.
Consider going to the UK and winning the Formula Ford championship. That would be a great start.

Step 3: Find a driving coach to help get you up to speed in these cars. Start looking HERE.

If I were you, I would do several races in a Koni Challenge RWD GS car. If you are OK with the car and feel like you can take a big step up from there, that's when you start looking at available GT seats in Rolex. A few clean races in GT and it would be easy to secure a seat for the 24 Hours of Daytona. If you have the funding.

Be aware that each of these is a pretty big step up. Depending on your previous experience, you may be on a very steep learning curve for awhile!

Step 3: Find a driving coach to help get you up to speed in these cars. Start looking HERE.

If I were you, I would do several races in a Koni Challenge RWD GS car. If you are OK with the car and feel like you can take a big step up from there, that's when you start looking at available GT seats in Rolex. A few clean races in GT and it would be easy to secure a seat for the 24 Hours of Daytona. If you have the funding.

Be aware that each of these is a pretty big step up. Depending on your previous experience, you may be on a very steep learning curve for awhile!

Thanks for posting this information. I'm sure it will be of help to the original poster, and it is very accurate description of how to get started if you already have some money.

As for the rest of the comments in this thread - who cares where his money came from! Don't be pissed at him just because he comes from a rich family. Sure, there are plenty of people who buy their way onto the racetrack, that have no idea what they're doing when they get there, but there are also great drivers who are lucky enough to have funding to help them get started. I wish I had a huge source of money to persue my racing, but I don't - do I hold it against this guy? Hell no! /rant

The ALMS has rentals available in GT2 I know. It's more international than the Rolex series. Might want to look there too. Get close to Don and maybe he can introduce you to White Lightening or Penske.

I know I'd be happy just to have the financial backing to get in club racing! Good luck with your adventures!

I would start with a reality check, are you really that good or have the potential to be good enough to win at the highest levels?

I would start by asking the Skip Barber guys to give you a real assessment of your abilities(turn off the marketing aspect of their business for a moment, not slamming them but is is a business

I have known for decades I am pretty competent but not gifted so I stay in autocross and run track days and have fun doing so. I am better at setting up a car than driving it, I am ok with that, I just setup my cars better than most would ever do and this makes me decently competitive. Then when I want to really see how well I have done I put a great driver in the car and I get great satisfaction from seeing what they can do

If you are super talented then my advice is to go for it, Gary seems to have a great plan if you really do have the funding(not many surgeons make that kind of money

If you are not a super talent maybe you could consider building a team up or becoming part of one, bring in a great talent that has no backing, it can be very rewarding in it's own way.

The reason I say this is I would rather see a great talent not go to waste than see an ok talent buy his way to the top and then run in the back of the pack.

I would like to add one thing that some haven't mentioned as of yet. Mr. Sheehan can chime in here anytime. Excersise and staying healthy to be able to compete in an endurance event such as the 24hrs is crucial!!!!! I remember seeing a video of what the F1 drivers go through for their training and it's tough.

This thread carries a fair amount of bad envy in it. Im sure we all wish we had someone to help us fund our racing dreams.

I think objective advise such as Gary's carries a lot of creditability, as I remember one of the drivers for the Subaru Team here in the US used nearly all of his inheretence to buy rides into the pro rally circuit.

Im sure im less than a mediocre driver but if I had the funds I'd be buying rides at every chance I get and spending the rest on coaching from guys like Gary and schools to improve.